FOR OLDER MEN

‪#‎Titus2Series‬
"Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance."
Titus 2:2
The Titus 2 series continues. I guess I've been positively distracted by work (including ministry work and house work, lol). Like I said in the first post, if you search for Titus 2 on the internet, most, if not all, that turns up is focused on the womenfolk. Thankfully, Titus 2 has something for everyone and interestingly, it starts with older men.
Paul admonished Bishop Titus to teach older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Unfortunately, many believe only God can teach men these things while everyone (I mean EVERYONE) can teach WOMEN...Ministers of God, please we need these truths to be taught to our older men without neglecting to teach our women.
I'll touch on each of these. However, since I'm not a Bishop, I won't dwell too much on each. I'll trust you to do some personal Bible Study. Also, young men, this is what you should be aspiring to as you grow.
(A) TEACH OLDER MEN TO BE TEMPERATE
Temperate means "showing moderation or self-restraint". Verily, verily, I say to you my brethren, you cannot prove your temperance/moderation/self-restraint unless you have faced a situation where you could have acted otherwise. If your wife's behaviour made you hit her or lash out, you still have some distance to cover in temperance/moderation/self-restraint. I have a lot to say but I'm trying to keep the post short, lol.
(B) TEACH OLDER MEN TO BE WORTHY OF RESPECT
The key word here is "worthy". Hephzibah's translation would be something like "Respect thyself that thou might be respected". Some older men expect to be respected because of their age, others because of their gender. Hmmm, brother, respect is earned. Again, plenty stories but ‪#‎NoTime‬.
(C) TEACH OLDER MEN TO BE SELF-CONTROLLED
This is very similar to (A) so I won't repeat myself. I'll just add that you need to master your self - your urges, temper, love of gadgets/football etc. Check your motives.
(D) TEACH OLDER MEN TO BE SOUND (IN LOVE, FAITH AND ENDURANCE)
We need our men to understand and be grounded in love, faith and endurance. I understand that you may have had few (or no) role models. You can become a role model, sir, if you let God lead and guide you.
I am participating in a discussion that challenges women to share some of the nice things that a Nigerian man has done for them. Some of the things some of these men have done need to be published; they are the unsung heroes of our time. I realised, though, that many of the nice things were done by older men. It reminded me of a time when I was basically comparing my husband to my father while grumbling to my mum. She told me that my dad was more or less like my husband when he was my husband's age but as he grew older, he grew wiser and more mature (I know some men are NOT yet growing wiser as they grow older. Their matter will be addressed separately). So, dear women, my point is that with some patience and loving support from you and others, your husband will usually grow to become more loving and responsible so keep tending your own garden. The grass is only greener on the other side because someone is tending it.
Enjoy your day.
PS: Nothing in this post justifies domestic violence/abuse (DV&A). If you're a victim/perpetuator of DV&A, please seek professional help. I'll be glad to recommend godly and professional counsellors.